Murphy
by Rodent3er
Summary: Ok, I am making lots of changes to it. I'm terribly sorry to all who were enjoying this. I know this will be a pain, but please start at the beginning again. This time there is a language barrier and Murphy ends up more childish than before. I don't know if the rating will be any different, so for now, please disregard it.
1. 1- Foregin Nation

Chapter 1- Foreign Nation

For a year or two now, Dr. Ivo Robotnik had disappeared from Mobius. Everyone didn't understand why. The reason was, in fact, he started seeing that Sonic was too big of a threat for him and decided to leave in order to become strong enough to defeat him and take over Mobius. It would mean that he would go and concur other planets and eventually come back with the strength of multitude. Shadow and Rouge went with him, seemingly on his side, but not entirely.

Now, Dr. Eggman is much stronger than he usually was in the past, but his progress stalled considerably. So far now he doesn't just rely on his robots for combat but with a number of colonies from a few planets. Some were good while others were a little lackluster; despite this he felt generous enough to take them under his wing. Now the reasons as to why he is stalled in his progress is because he is up against two threats: Sonic and an empire, being much more successful at world domination than Eggman himself.

Sonic and his friends have started following him, suspicious as to why he left. He, Tails, Amy, Cream, and Knuckles all took off in the Blue Typhoon and started tracking Eggman down.

Now this empire, no one has ever seen before; the only ones who knew about them were a number or colonies Eggman had recruited. The leader of one of them, by the name of John, described it like this:

"Our planet was a peaceful one, then out of the blue, this empire came and started wiping us out. There was nothing we could do, we had nowhere to hide. We never got a chance to retaliate or defend. Never have we seen such brutality when we saw our families and friends get killed."

Under John was an agent, by the name of Linda, who gave a vivid picture of the race.

"They came in all shapes and sizes," she explained. "But one thing that was constant was that, they were insect-like. They had antennae, mandibles and even wings. They also wore helmets, but I've never seen one take their's off. It's almost as if they were glued on or something."

Those were pretty much the only good explanations that were given. This empire was then given a name: The Inferior Mystique.

For some time later, Eggman's colony still remained fighting without any progress. Multiple times they had to retreat for no matter how hard they tried, it did nothing to the opposing empire. It was finally decided that they hire or find someone to help or have a little more insight on this mysterious nation.

Someone did come before long and was even welcomed aboard Eggman's ship. It was a human scientist, much like him, but was more polite and timid. He was called Dr. Hamlet. He also had a mysterious background that he wish he didn't share, but shared that he lived among the Inferior Mystique for years. He also showed to be pretty aloof when it came to talking about personal experiences and opinions. He had a short stature for a man; 5' 4'' at best. He looked about to be in his fifties with wrinkles tainting his face and hands. His hair was brown with grey streaks and neatly combed through. He also kept glasses for reading and writing.

A day or two after he came, he gave a presentation about the race and the empire.

"To make myself clear, I want this empire to be destroyed," he said directly. "The reason why I say this is because many of you have been questioning whether to trust me or not. It is true, I've lived among this race for a long time, but just so you know, I was only doing it for research and observation, not to be on their side."

He paused as he began walking from side to side.

"This empire you are dealing with has lots of power under it's belt," he started.

"Is it from chaos emeralds," Eggman interrupted. Dr. Hamlet turned to him.

"No," he replied. "They have a different power, similar to chaos control, but not chaos emeralds. They have instead, what I like to call, Clovers."

Almost everyone in the room chuckled and gave Dr. hamlet a weird look.

"Why clovers," one of them asked.

Dr. Hamlet paused, waiting patiently for everyone to finish.

"When you walk in a field of grass, there are patches of clovers here and there," he said softly. "How many leaves do you usually find on them?"

Everyone else replied with two or three. A few said four.

"Indeed," he replied. "The reason why I call them clovers is because each one ranges in power. No one knows where they come from, not even their own race, but they are able to perform magic and create anything their powers allow them to do. This is where their level of power comes in. Two through three leafs are the most common and are even usually the ones used for conquest. So since you guys are having a hard time defeating this empire, it's safe to say you are dealing with a three-leaf-clover or two."

"Now wait," Linda piped. "What are these clovers anyway?"

"They are inferior mystique themselves," the old man replied. "The issue is, in fact, no one knows where they come from. In a way, it's like a disease that we don't know whether or not is passed down genetically or if it was caught, like a cold or something. But it can be detected and dealt with, whatever means the race chooses. That is their issue."

"So say suppose we find a 'clover'," Dr. Eggman asked. "Will I be able to harness their powers for my own?"

Dr. Hamlet stopped his pacing and gazed up at him intently.

"Yes, you can," he replied. "But I advise not too. Normally, if anyone were to have something rare and powerful in their hands, it's allure could drive them insane."

And that was the end of his lesson of the day. As everyone filed to leave the room, Linda stayed put. She then stood up and approached the man.

"Excuse me," she said politely. "There was one more question I wanted to ask."

Dr. Hamlet turned around, and looked at her straight in the eye, nearly intimidating her.

"How long did you live among this race," she asked. "And how did you survive in it?"

The old man gave her a weird look, then smiled.

"I spent six years among them," he replied. "An I wasn't even scratched."

Linda frowned, appalled.

"What do you mean," she questioned. "You weren't attacked; they never bothered to kill you?"

"Yes," Dr. Hamlet replied. "It was quite unnecessary for them. Why do you look so shocked?"

Linda, confused and angry, cried, "Don't you see how cruel this empire is?"

She then pulled down the collar of her shirt exposing numerous scars, appearing to be deep.

"See what they did," she asked. "This is only the surface. But they went and killed my family, friends, and thousands of innocent people."

"Yes," Dr. Hamlet replied, unfazed. "And you're not the only one either."

Linda, downtrodden, pulled her shirt collar back up.

"I suggest you get some rest," the old man advised. "You've had a long shift."

Linda, speechless, left the room, feeling foolish as ever. When she went to bed, all she could do was sleep. She didn't sleep well though; she had a tormenting dream.

She was in a spacious room, filled with darkness, yet a dim light came from behind and warmed her back. Just then, out of nowhere, a shadow loomed above her. She turned around, but then gasped at the sight.

There stood an insect, around a few feet taller than her. It had stick-like legs with thinning layers of hair. It's abdomen curved up, almost like a hook and rested on the ground. It had plume like wings, perpendicular to it's body, white and fluffy like snow. It gazed at her, considering something, then approached.

Linda started stepping backwards, but then stumbled and fell. A sharp jolt of pain traveled up her leg and the scars on her collarbone burned with intensity. She cried out, closing her eyes and covering her face. The insect stopped mid-step, then shifted backwards as if by impulse. It backed away, keeping it's gaze on her, then slowly fades away into the light.

Linda's eyes snap open, finding herself in a cold sweat in her dark room.


	2. 2- That Bug

Chapter 2: That Bug

For the next few hours, Linda sat with her squadron socializing with them. Apparently, everyone had the same dream she had, but each reacted differently. Pretty much all of them referred to the enormous insect as the monster. Some tried running away while others tried attacking it. Linda told how she felt pain in her scars and additional pain in her leg; it made it hard for her to walk. One thing was constant though: The insect never tried to fight back. It'd approach, but only to be shot at or ran away from.

Dr. Hamlet sat one or two tables away from the group, seemingly eating at peace. Sometimes Linda would look over her shoulder at him, wondering what he was thinking or if he was eavesdropping on their conversation. She then decided to talk to him for a little bit. She strode up to him, trying to be polite, and sat down at a distance from him. He didn't seem to look up or acknowledged her existence.

"Um, hello," Linda said politely. "I really sorry about my act yesterday."

"Oh no, you are fine," the old man replied. "You're suffering from PTSD. It's natural to get emotional about sensitive topics."

He looked up from his plate at her, but didn't smile. It was hard to tell if he was forgiving or belittling her.

"Er, um," she replied. "You don't mind if I sit with you, do you?"

"Oh, no I don't mind," the scientist said looking back down at his plate. "Just don't expect me to say anything."

There was an awkward pause.

"Well, just to ask," Linda said. "Everyone in my group, including I, had the same dream last night. There was a giant insect with plume-like wings; each person reacted in their own unique way. Could it be possible you had the same dream?"

Dr. Hamlet looked up, giving a perplexed look. He seemed to be in disbelief.

"All of you had the same dream," he asked.

"Yes," Linda replied, confident. "I find it very odd that everyone had the very exact dream. I just want to see what you think."

There was another pause. The scientist rolled his eyes, thinking to himself.

"Now that I think about it," he said. "Before I came onto this ship, I had a dream just like that,"

"You what," Linda exclaimed. "What do you think it could be? What could be making us have the same dream?"

"You know," Dr. Hamlet said. "Maybe you could ask that creature."

"But," Linda stammered. "I'm too afraid. Plus, what if it's an insect that is trying to torment us?"

"You never truly know unless you try to find out," the scientist replied. "And if it's is trying to torment you, then just wake up."

"Um, okay," Linda stammered. "I'll try."

* * *

Later that shift, there was a battle going on between one of the Insect space ships and Eggman. Linda fought alongside her squad, fighting with everything she had against the insects. She fired mercilessly and without hesitation, for they would kill her if she did.

"I need some backup," someone from her squadron radioed. "I can't get this bug off of me."

"No problem," she called back and dove to where her team member was.

There they were being chased by a few insects. They could barely dodge the insect fires. Linda shot at them and they got destroyed.

"Thanks, Linda," they replied and few away.

Linda then went back to the main battle. There she could barely see the insect spaceship. It seemed much bigger than Eggman's and had a huge force-field around it. So a clover is powering it, she thought. From what it looks like, they are probably extremely powerful, if they're the ones powering that ship.

Suddenly, a voice whispered in her head. She felt like it was coming from somewhere else; she couldn't seem to have thought it up herself

"can anyone hear me," it asked.

Linda then radioed one of her colleagues.

"Hey," she called. "Did you hear a voice just now?"

"Like what kind," they replied. "Was it whispering?"

"Yeah," Linda explained. "So you heard it too?"

"Yeah," they replied. "Whoever it was, we definitely heard them."

They stop talking about it afterward. The battle they had seemed much more successful than they expected. They managed to get through the spaceships defenses and even captured a few prisoners. Those were dealt with by torture and imprisonment.

Dr. Hamlet helped with translation for they spoke and wrote in a different language. Eggman ordered a few people from John's team along with Rouge and Shadow to help in the process.

"Just a heads up," Dr. Hamlet warned. "These insects are not easy to break. Sometimes they can even break you."

He then opened the door to a dark room. When he turned on the light, there was a metal table. On the other side was the insect, head bent down and not bothering to look up. It whore a helmet with antennae sprouting from it. It's eyes, without pupils, shimmered in the light.

The rest of the team came in. One of them pulled the insects head back by it's antennae and sprayed it's face with pepper spray. The insect recoiled, wincing in pain. It's voice made everyone conclude that it was a man.

"Sir," he barked at. "You are goddamn lucky we are letting you live."

Dr. Hamlet translated. He spoke very fluently in the insect language especially mastering their accent. The accent was deep, seemingly coming from the throat, making his speech sound more full.

The insect replied, sounding cool and collected, but grimacing.

"It's not really mercy if you're just going to kill me in the end," Dr. Hamlet repeated.

"But if we do, we can't learn anything," another pilot replied. "Now, tell us about this empire. How old is it?"

Dr. Hamlet repeated the response to the insect. He made a deep, cynical chuckle. He then gave a response.

"Why do you ask when you will only suffer the same fate," Dr. Hamlet repeated. "Absolutely nothing could stop this empire."

"Oh yeah," Shadow barked as he strode up to him. "Don't you even know who you're dealing with?"

Dr. hamlet repeated what he said, in the insects tong. The insect replied, calmly and collectively.

"Like you've seen a maximum totem," the scientist repeated.

"What do you mean by 'maximum totem'," Rouge asked. "Does that have something to do with clovers?"

"Sadly yes," Dr. hamlet replied. "That is what clovers are usually called: totems."

"What do you mean by maximum," the pilot replied.

Dr. Hamlet repeated the question to the insect. He then gave a grave answer.

"If what he says adds up," the scientist concluded. "We might just as well be dealing with a four-leaf clover."

The room went silent as soon as they heard his remark. It wasn't long until the interrogation was over. Soon the news spread all over Eggman's spaceship.

Shadow went back to his room and crawled inside his capsule to recharge his energy. He laid his hands across his chest and stared up at the glass.

What he saw then, before drifting off, a tiny bug crawling across the glass. It was pure white and gave off a faint glow. It had white, plume-like wings that rolled up, forming a "T" with it's body.

He opened his eyes and found himself looking in the face of an enormous creature. He locked eyes with it and as soon as he did, it dashed away, disappearing into a pure whiteness.

"Hey," he hollered. "Who are you?"

He ran right after it. His eyes focused on nothing but where the beast was, but he couldn't find it anywhere.

"Leave me alone," a voice echoed. "You scare me."

Shadow sped up a little, but nothing came into view.

"Who are you," he hollered.

"Go away," the voice whimpered. "I don't like you."

Shadow stopped running. He had a feeling that if he kept on running, he wouldn't find the creature. Is this the creature that appeared in everyone's dreams, he wondered. He heard the rumors; everyone talked about the 'monster' that appeared. It doesn't seem like a monster it it's running away like this, he thought. And the voice; it sounds soft and childish, in a way.

"What do you want," he replied, in attempt to be slightly less dark.

There was no reply for a long time.

"Why do you chase me," the voice echoed. "Normally someone would ether attack me or run away."

"Well, you're running away," Shadow said. "I guess I know how it feels like to be a monster like you."

The creature made a high-pitched hiss. Shadow woke up and found himself back in his capsule. The little insect was gone and nowhere to be found.


	3. 3- Lucky Empire

Chapter 3: Lucky Empire

It wasn't long until the insect was sent reeling into space. All of the inhabitants on board began speaking about the potential of a four-leaf clover and what it could mean. A lot of them went up to Dr. Hamlet with questions; he answered them all patiently and honestly. It wasn't long until Eggman arranged a meeting so Dr. Hamlet could calm the situation down.

"Please keep in mind that what I said after the interrogation was only a theory," the scientist said. "It's possible we are not dealing with it."

"What exactly did that insect say to you before you made that theory," John asked.

"He merely said it was maximum power," Dr. Hamlet replied calmly. "Now, three-leaf clovers are not maximum, but they are close."

"Are you saying that a four-leaf clover is maximum power," Dr. Eggman questioned.

"No," Dr. Hamlet said. "I never said that. The truth is, I've never came face-to-face with one before in my life. I have, however, heard of them. Insect scientists have said there was a case involving one, but that was the only one that was ever recorded. The insect had limitless power, and no matter how much it used, it always had it. They never told me what happened to it, of course.

Now of course that was a really long time ago, and I have no idea if there was another one or not, but I can say for sure that a four-leaf clover exists."

"Maximum power," Linda murmured. "That's not the same as limitless. So you don't think that we are dealing with one are you."

"The truth is, I don't know," Dr. Hamlet replied. "The chance that we could be dealing with one is approximately 1 to a trillionth, considering how vast the universe is, and the number of cases there were to my knowledge."

"Another thing to keep in mind," another agent said. "Is that they probably don't know the difference between limitless and maximum. Or they use the words in different context."

"That probably what they have is the most power that they have witnessed," Eggman finished. "But at least we know one thing for sure: We need to be stronger."

"Yes," Dr. Hamlet finished. "But I'm afraid I'm not help you in that. I'm only here to give information."

Dr. Eggman looked at him, with some distaste, then ended the meeting. Well thanks for nothing, he thought. But at least he is helping us move forward in this conquest.

As soon as the meeting ended, Dr. Hamlet went to his dorm. He closed the door behind him then turned around. There on his desk was a tiny, glowing, plume moth. He glanced at it; then, without hesitation, dressed into his pajamas and went to his bathroom. When he came out, he got into his bed and laid there, without the covers over him. The glowing moth then flew over and landed on the wall parallel to his bed. Dr. Hamlet then went to sleep.

He opened his eyes and there was the presence of the enormous insect pressing in on him.

"You've come to see me," he said as he turned around. "Murphy."

"You remember my name," a soft voice replied. "Despite all this time."

"Stay focused," the doctor replied. "What have you come to see me for?"

"I have no one to talk to you know," the voice argued. "You're the nicest person around here."

"And yet you won't show yourself to me," Dr. Hamlet pointed out as he looked around. Occasionally he'd see a flutter of plumes, disappearing from his sight. "Did something happen?"

"My sister has been working exceptionally hard," the voice said. "It's been rough."

"She was taking a tole on you," The doctor replied, maintaining his straight face. "Is that why i can't see you?"

"Yes," the voice reassured. "i can't be seen, at least in everyone's minds. Not that i like to get into their heads anyway."

"Well, have you been present in their minds anyway," Dr. Hamlet. "Especially that black hedgehog?"

"I don't want to," the voice complained. "He scares me the most."

"Yes, but he's easily manipulated," the doctor explained. "Just look at how Dr. Eggman manipulates him, and he's fairly bad at it."

There was silence for a long time.

"I hate this you know," the voice bellowed. "This isn't working, and you know that."

"It's all we can do now," Dr. Hamlet replied. "I'm doing everything I can to open their minds. Your job is to get into them and make them understand."

"Time is running out though," the voice replied. "You know if we fail, we can't try again."

"I'm aware of that," he replied. "However, I believe that they, and you, have what it takes to destroy this empire."

"What about my sister," the voice said. "Can't she be saved?"

Dr. Hamlet looked down. He sighed, wondering the same thing.

"I don't know," he murmured.

Not long after, an enormous black shadow jumped at him, giving him a jolt.

He woke up. He looked around; the tiny, white moth was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Linda laid on her cot, thinking. I wonder if that enormous insect in everyone's head has anything to do with this empire, she thought. Maybe the insect is a way to hinder everyone. If the empire has a four-leaf clover, then they are pretty much unstoppable.

Before she finished her thought, she fell asleep.

She found herself in the same dream as before. She grew tense, looking around for the insect. Nothing appeared, but she occasionally saw a flutter of plumes. She froze, thinking the insect might sneak attack.

"Oh yes," the voice spoke. "You were in pain before. Remember how your leg and shoulder were hurting?"

"Who are you," Linda cried, trembling. "Why do you torment me."

There was silence for a moment.

"I'm not even trying," the voice bellowed. "Even though I don't show myself, you still feel threatened. Even if I'd want to, I can't."

A burning sensation then flared up in Linda's shoulder and thigh. She cried out, sinking down and lying on the ground, holding onto her leg and shoulder.

"Stop it, please," she cried. "Why do you torture me?"

"I didn't cause this pain you know," the voice said. "You bring it upon yourself."

"LIAR," Linda shouted. "You're that insect, aren't you!"

She sat up, ignoring the pain and looked around. She still saw nothing.

"Well SHOW yourself, goddammit," she bellowed with rage. "I already know who you are."

There was silence for a long time.

"no... you... don't," the voice hissed in her head.

Suddenly, an enormous black shadow jumped at her and she screamed.

Her eyes snapped open and she bolted up in her bed. She felt chills all over and tears threatened to peep out from her eyelids. She growled and banged her fist against the wall. Calm down, she thought to herself. This is probably what the insects want. They want me to be riled up that's all. I got to remain strong and not be hindered by some battle tactic.


	4. 4- Glitter Field

Chapter 4: The Glitter Field

A new battle was coming.

The falcon flyers prepared for the trek into battle. Linda felt especially pumped. She was ready to kill some insects after that dream. I will not let them torment me, she thought. I will triumph.

As she got ready, she managed to help her comrades and get them pumped for battle. Before everyone boarded their spacecrafts, John, the leader, gathered everyone.

"Remember, " he started. "Last time was a major victory for us, alright. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be too cocky though. They are bound to figure out our strategy by now. However, that doesn't mean we can't outsmart them. We will not back down though, no matter what, we could at least do our best and show them that no matter how much they surround us, we will still remain strong. Understand?"

Everyone nodded and murmured in ascent.

"Now let's go squish some bugs," Linda cried in triumph.

"YEAH," everyone cried in triumph.

They then went to their spacecrafts. In the distance, Shadow and Rouge were leaning against the wall, watching them. Rouge turned to him.

"Are you ready," Shadow asked as he glanced at her.

Rouge nodded and smiled. They both then went toward the entrance of the port.

It wasn't long until the falcon flyers left Eggman's space station and headed toward the spaceship. Shadow and Rouge were among them. As they neared the spaceship, insect spacecrafts bee-lined towards them, firing strong lasers and rockets. The falcons fired in return, along with a huge army of some of Eggman's robots. It was difficult destroying some of the spacecrafts, but Shadow's immense speed and power managed to blast through a few of them.

The battle carried on for a few minuets, but then, out of the blue, a huge space station came into view. It was far bigger than Eggman's and everyone paused to take in it's enormity. Soon, thousands of other insect crafts flew into the fray, outnumbering Eggman's side ten-fold. To make the entire situation hopeless, all of his robots as well as his spacecrafts malfunctioned completely, without a trace of power.

"What is happening," he shouted. "What is that thing!?"

"Sir, none of your robots or any of the falcon fliers are appearing on radar," one of the agents reported. "They've just vanished."

Linda fumbled frantically with her controls; none of them were responsive. She tried radioing her comrades but that too was disabled. It wasn't long until she found herself suffocating and she had to quickly stuff herself into her spacesuit. Luckily that worked and soon she was breathing normally. Then her craft received numerous blows from all directions and soon she, along with her spacecraft, was sent reeling into deep space where she blacked out.

"Quickly, we need to retreat," Eggman barked. "Send search pods for the survivors. Dr. Hamlet, what the hell is going on?!"

He was standing right next to him, silently observing. He slowly turned to him.

"It's the mother ship," he replied. "It's probably since last time we took out one of their spaceships, they decided to take us out with the mothership."

"What happened to all of my robots and space crafts," Dr. Eggman asked.

"Well, two things could've happened," Dr. Hamlet replied. "Either all of them were obliterated, or their space crafts malfunctioned and their just floating aimlessly in space. I suggest you try to search to make sure."

* * *

Linda opened her eyes. She was still in her spacecraft, tethered to her seat. the glass on her window has shattered. She looked around. she found herself in some sort of field with metal shards and pieces everywhere. She tried to move, but then she froze with dread. There towering above her was the enormous space station of the insect empire. She panicked, shaking uncontrollably.

"Shh! be still and quiet," a voice whispered in Linda's head.

She recognized the voice; it's the one from her dreams. Am I dreaming, she wondered.

"You are not dreaming this time," the voice replied. "You are in close enough range for me to to speak to you while you're awake."

There was silence for a moment.

"You were sleeping for quite a while. I think your teammates noticed that you never returned from that battle. The machines were searching for you, but they couldn't find you. You are hidden too well. They've probably given up by now."

Linda shuttered. She started fidgeting in her seat, trying to see if any of the gadgets would work.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you," the voice cooed. "I'm only going to keep you for a little while. Try not to move though. Don't you notice all the shards of metal and glass everywhere?"

Linda looked around. The voice was right. Thousands of shards of glass and metal were scattered everywhere, as far as she could see, some were so dense that they seemed to twinkle like the stars. They were sharp enough to pierce through her space suit.

"I call it the glitter field," the voice explained. "Doesn't it look pretty?"

Linda gazed with disgust. Yet she trembled with fear.

"Who are you," she retorted. "Is this a kidnapping?"

There was silence for a long time.

"I'm called Murphy," the voice murmured. "And yes, you could say it's a kidnapping, but all you did was drift here."

Linda scowled with distaste. She didn't entirely believe what she said.

"Uh oh," Murphy hissed. "It looks like someone is coming. Shh!"

Linda grew still and silent. Suddenly, a bright light came from the base of the space station and two figures came into view. Linda trembled with fear, knowing it was the inferior mystique. Linda watched as she saw their antennae shift around, probing the area. She heard them murmuring something, but she couldn't make it out; they were speaking in their own tong anyway.

They then went off to different sides of the opening and as soon as they did, something ejected out of the port and soon was floating toward her. She immediately recognized the object. It was the spacecraft like hers; only even more damaged. The front window was gaping open, and there was, in the cockpit, a comrade of hers, without a spacesuit on.

(Note: for those of you who don't know, people don't explode in space. Neither do they die instantly. It takes about 5 min. to be "pronounced dead" in medical terms.)

He was dead alright. He sat there, bound to his seat, motionless.

Linda recoiled in horror. Her eyes shut tightly as tears started peeping out.

"There is something very important that I need to tell you," Murphy whispered in Linda's head. "I'm the maximum totem everyone in your colony is talking about. Or as Dr. Hamlet calls it, a four-leaf clover."

Linda gasped with anguish. Is that how I'm going to die, she wondered. Is my helmet gonna smash open like my cockpit already is?

"I've learned to do many things in this empire, despite my limitations," Murphy replied. "I've learned how to read. Do you like reading books? I've read many; Sometimes it's fun to see how different the outside and inside really are. It's always been the same though; they all seem to be one way, but then I read them and they're really the other."

Linda sat there listening, when there was a short pause. Murphy continued.

"I've started doing the same thing you know," she said. "I've started doing it as well. I've been acting weak, innocent, and worthless, despite how much I've grown. I bet, if I tried, I could easily crush this empire with just one hand."

Linda shook with dread. Murphy isn't lying is she, she wondered.

"I'm going to die am I," she asked. "You could easily flick me, as if I were nothing but a fly; am I right."

There was silence for a while.

"I already told you I wasn't going to hurt you, didn't I," Murphy snapped. "If you want to get back alive, you must remain calm and listen to my voice. Understand?"

Linda grew startled, feeling chastised. She understood.

"Good," Murphy replied. "Tell everyone that I am a four-leaf clover. Tell them that I have been inside their heads all this time. That moth in your and everyone's dreams, that was me."

Linda understood a little more now. So this Murphy, she thought. The dreams, that insect in them, that was the four-leaf clover. That was this inferior mystique.

"Linda, is it," Murphy called out. "I shall try to give you some power, in order for you to create a signal. I'll do my best to send some of your squad members to get you. Now all you have to do is wait. I recommend though that you be careful sending a signal. Not only will your squad members try to find you, but something else might. Do you know why all of this shards of metal are here? They were all once machinery and spacecrafts too, you know."

Suddenly, a dark figure slithered past Linda, pushing the other craft out of her sight. She gasped, wondering if that's what's going to happen to her.

"That's going to be you if you are not careful," Murphy replied. "If you want to avoid it, you could shine a bright light at it. It doesn't like it."

* * *

Eggman's space station had to retreat far from the other. It was under Dr. Hamlet's advice. As they were trying to flee, a signal appeared on the screen. The agent monitoring it turned around.

"Dr. Eggman," they cried out. "There is a distress signal coming from the enemy space station."

"What," Eggman replied. "Pull it up on the screen."

"Wait, now it's gone," the agent replied. There was a short pause. "There it is again!"

"I said pull it up, didn't I," Eggman barked.

"Okay," the agent stammered as he pulled it up onto the large screen for everyone to see.

Everyone turned around to look. There was a signal on there alright, but occasionally it would go out. All of them, especially Dr. Hamlet, stared in wonder.

"Can you collect some data on it," Dr. Eggman replied.

"Affirmative," The agent replied. "It seems to be one of your own spacecrafts doctor. Only severely damaged and running on limited power."

"But how does it have enough power, much less be able to, relay a signal in that close of a range to the mother ship," Eggman asked. "This isn't a trick, is it?"

"No sir," the agent said. "It is licensed under you."

"How hard will it be to go fetch it," Dr. Eggman asked.

"Well," Dr. Hamlet butted in. "There are a lot of things you could consider. A space craft doesn't just operate on it's own. Someone is using it. It could be that an insect is trying to lure us to it's location and we'll be met up will a badly placed trap. But there is also a chance that it could be someone from your side trying to receive help."

"And if they were one of my crew, is it worth wasting some time and effort to rescue them," Eggman asked.

"Well, there is only one of them, but considering the fact that they are in close range might mean they are finding valuable information," the old scientist replied. "Something you must be desperate for by now, am I right?"

"And besides," another agent cried out. "It's kind of a lame for the empire to make some sort of small decoy. If they were to distract us with something, there are hundreds of better ways to do that."

There was a short pause. Then Dr. Eggman sighed.

"Alright," he replied. "But I shall only rely on the falcon flyers, and Shadow, to retrieve the spacecraft."

It wasn't long until some of the falcon fliers, along with Shadow, flew out, heading straight for the source of the distress signal. Shadow stood on one of the space pod wings and held on to the side.

"Question," one of the fliers asked. "Wouldn't our spacecrafts malfunction if we get into close proximity of that mother ship?"

"Well," another replied. "That would mean the craft is being used by the enemy, right; their power works just fine."

"If your spacecrafts malfunction," Shadow retorted. "Then I could get closer. Remember who was working his butt off getting you guys to safety?"

"Right..." the falcon flyer remembered.

* * *

Linda saw her comrades coming as she nearly heaved a sigh of relief. She was fighting off this huge centipede-like creature who constantly tried charging her with all it's might. She managed to ward it off with her lights. at ever chance she got, she'd flick the lights off and get the distress signal going.

"Murphy," she asked. "Wouldn't their space crafts malfunction if they get too close?"

"No," Murphy replied. "That atmosphere is turned off for the time being. It won't be left off for long though."

"So there are different atmospheres," Linda concluded. "Like what kind?"

"A lot actually, i don't know most of them though."

Linda continued flashing her light as the giant centipede tried circling her at every angle.

"Where did this beast come from," she asked.

"It's sort of the empires pet," Murphy explained. "It's not tamed though, so they tend to just let it be."

Linda stopped asking questions afterward. She grew too focused on the insect and kept an eye out for her comrades.

* * *

The falcon fliers were able to see her as they approached. They were baffled to discover that their crafts hadn't malfunctioned yet. One of them tried displaying contact with the craft, but with little avail.

"They're not receiving our transmission," the reported. "The craft must be badly damaged."

"And yet, how are they able to flash a light and display a signal," another asked. "This is very strange."

Linda looked up to see some of her friends to her rescue. Here they come, she thought with relief. She then pull all her energies into flashing the light at the centipede.

"You know," Murphy murmured. "I've also been receiving help from that scientist. We've been speaking escape long before your he joined Eggman's colony."

Linda stopped, as this new information numbed her senses. The centipede then caught her off guard as it rammed it's gaping mouth into the front of the craft. She gasped and tried to free herself from her binds. She barely escaped, but as she did, one of it's sharp legs jabbed through her helmet, and gashed a wound on her cheek.

As soon as this happened, all the air in Linda's lungs flew out, leaving her suffocating. She started drifting off, feeling as all of her sweat boiled out of her pores along with saliva. Blood that oozed from her wound evaporated exponentially, almost feeling like it was exploding.

It wasn't long until a comrade came and quickly brought her into their spacecraft. But by that time, she had fallen unconscious. However, she heard a question, finding herself even more lost, just as much as enraged.

"Linda," Murphy asked. "I've always wondered, did you family love you?"


	5. 5- Murphy

Chapter 5: Murphy

Linda woke up, finding herself resting on a hospital bed. As she regained sight, she realized she couldn't see out of her right eye. She reached up to feel her face, but she couldn't. Her body was completely numb. She then sighed as her head tilted to the side and her arm slumped across her stomach. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep again. She heard a voice from a distance, but barely made out what they were saying.

Before she dozed off again, she moaned

"Dr. Hamlet, is he there," she asked. "I need to speak with him, alone."

It wasn't long until she heard a door open and close and turned toward the sound. As she opened her eyes, all she could make out was the old scientist. She squinted, feeling uncomfortable, and looked away.

Dr. Hamlet stared at her, studying her every movement and expression. He even investigated her face wound. The claw from the centipede pierced her cheek enough to where it needed to be stitched. It was also close enough to her eye to lose sight from it.

"You asked for me," he sighed, slightly annoyed. "I'm a scientist, not a psychiatrist."

Linda glared at him with distaste.

"I don't care if you're a doctor or scientist or not," she growled. "You're nothing but a traitor, you quack."

"Oh," Dr. Hamlet replied. "And what made you think that?"

He sat up, feeling tense.

"Murphy," Linda replied. "You know her don't you."

Dr. Hamlet's heart rate sped up. She knows, he thought. But how did she figure out?

"I don't understand what you're talking about," he replied calmly, keeping a convincing straight face. "Now you just woke up and you must be delirious from your injuries, both physically and mentally."

As he said this, he got up and started walking out.

"No, wait," Linda cried. "I was close to the mother ship. She was speaking to me in my mind."

She tried to reach out and grab at Dr. Hamlet's arm, trying to pull him back into the chair. He stopped and turned around, giving her a questioning look.

"She's the insect in everyone's mind, is that right," she continued. "She's a maximum totem, or four-leaf clover, like you call them."

Dr. Hamlet sank back into his seat, defeated, thinking through this situation.

"If this were true," he asked. "Why didn't you just go tell everyone else."

Linda sat back in her bed, and let go of hem.

"Because," she started. "I don't think it would be wise. And also, I don't know what would happen if Eggman found out."

Dr. Hamlet raised his eyebrow at her, questioning her thinking.

"You know, not everyone here is on his side," Linda continued. "All we want is this empire to be gone. Some of us have been talking, you know, about what it would be like if Dr. Eggman got a hold of something so powerful. Hearing that this empire has it, it's scary."

Dr. Hamlet sat back, understanding completely.

"I see," he understood. "So now, you question me because you know about my relations with Murphy."

"So you admit," Linda piped, relieved. "So it must be true that you and her were plotting escape, even before you came to us."

Dr. Hamlet slammed his fist onto the table beside her and glared at her with conviction. Linda jolted with surprise and fear, shriving up into her bed.

"Linda," he bellowed. "You must forget the information that was given to you. If anyone finds out about Murphy, there will be no hope for her escape."

"But then why did she directly tell me," Linda asked. "It looks like you're very stressed about this."

The old man sighed, calming his temper. This was not supposed to happen, he thought. Why did Murphy go off and poured out this information?

"Okay," he murmured. "This is quite alarming to hear, is it not? Now, okay I will admit to you, I was planning to try to get her rescued and to escape, but... *sigh* I didn't expect her to open up like that."

"What do you mean," Linda asked. "What were you trying to do?"

Not too far away from the door, Shadow and Rouge were listening to their conversation, analyzing the details.

"I wanted to open you and the rest of the crew up," Dr. Hamlet replied. "You know, not every insect in that empire wanted universe domination. Just like you and your squad only joined to just destroy the empire."

"So Murphy is just the same," Linda replied. "Or better yet, she was forced against her will."

"Well, I can't say against her will," the scientist replied. "She's a strange girl; sometimes she talks about her sister; maybe that's some reason. You could tell that she loves her."

So it's something about loving her sister, Linda thought; but what? She looked down, thinking carefully about this.

"You know," Dr. Hamlet said. "It could have something to do with how much she suffers."

"Suffer," Linda asked.

"Ever wonder what it's like being a totem in an insect's life," he asked. "It's a tragedy, nothing less."

He sighed, looking down. He turned to face the door. He had a very sneaking suspicion that someone was right behind there.

"Look Linda," he continued. "Murphy here is only a child, considering her age and species. Yet, she could be suffering far more than all of us could bear."

"Yes," Linda reluctantly agreed. "Though, I couldn't help thinking; she was connected to this empire that destroyed thousands of peoples lives."

"Well, Linda," he continued. "I don't know what could happen now, now that this clover situation is blowing out of the water. Get some rest, okay? Try not to say anything to anyone."

"...okay," Linda murmured.

The old scientist then got up and strode out of the room, sighing. As soon as the door closed behind him, a few gents surrounded him and forced him against the wall.

"Old man," one of them barked. "You have to talk."

They hand-cuffed and pushed him down the hall. He went along quietly and defeated. I knew it, he thought. Linda was probably too loud.

They took him to a room with a single table and a chair with cuffs. There was Shadow and Rouge standing across, angry as ever. Omega-123 was there too, only for torture though.

They sat the old scientist down and cuffed his hands and feet to the chair. The door slammed behind them and they all stood around table, eyeing the him with disgust.

"You could guess what you're doing here right," Rouge retorted.

"Yes," Dr. Hamlet replied. "And?"

"Tell us more about this Murphy," Shadow said. "You get my drift?"

Omega stood by the scientist with a taser, threatening to jab him.

"And you even threaten me," the scientist sighed. "Especially when you have no chance. You already know, don't you?"

"That we are dealing with a four-leaf clover," Rouge finished. "But you're all we got, you quack; Even though you're a traitor."

"I never said I would betray you guys," Dr. Hamlet said. "And I'm a man of my word you well know."

"But you said you will help us, right," Shadow argued. "You said you will provide everything you know."

"And I did," the scientist replied. "I told you everything I knew about this empire."

"Okay then," a gent said. "Tell us about this clover you know; Murphy was it."

Dr. Hamlet said nothing. He got shocked by Omega.

"Talk," Shadow growled as he slammed his hands on the table. "We know full well that you have relations with the clover. Now tell us more."

There was silence once more. The scientist got zapped once again.

"Okay then," a gent retorted. "Look, you said before hand that you wanted this empire destroyed, and you're a man of your word, right?"

There was more silence. Dr. Hamlet stared at the table, as if spaced out. He got zapped, but appeared unfazed.

"Then please," the gent replied. "Help us. We are in need of more information on this empire than ever before."

"If I told you," Dr. Hamlet replied. "Then all you will do is run away."

"C'mon," another gent reproached. "We already know that it's a four-leaf clover, and it's name is Murphy. What else have you gotten?"

"Why did you keep this from us," Shadow asked. "You know full well that this whole time, I've been doing things pretty half-assed lately, right?"

"Then now you know not to do things that way," the scientist responded. "So you're much stronger than I predicted."

"So you were targeting Shadow," Rouge concluded. "And why was that?"

"Was this why you came to help us in the first place," Shadow asked. "If you have something to ask of me, forget it."

There was a pause.

"How long were you listening to mine, and Linda's conversation," Hamlet asked. "We were talking about a lot."

"Here is what we know," the gent replied. "You have relations to the clover, Murphy and you are trying to help her escape. Linda was spoken to as she was trying to retrieve help from us. Did you ask Linda what was being said?"

"No," the scientist replied. "She spewed on her own."

He sighed. There was a long pause, then he continued.

"Look," he said. "This clover is only a child. Indeed, she is responsible for ruining all of your lives and shit. But hell, all she wants is escape; at least that's what I know."

All eyes were drawn to him. He never felt this exposed before.

"I truly don't know what her intentions are," he repeated. "But considering she's only a child, I feel it's only right to help her."

"What did you want me for," Shadow asked. "To help her escape?"

"Yes," Hamlet replied. "I knew you would say no right away, and I didn't know how else to convince you. Success wasn't guaranteed and it was to help someone with unknown intentions."

"How old is she," a gent asked. "Do you know?"

"I don't know," he replied. "She's got the maturity of a child, but judging how old that empire is, I imagine more than 2,000 years old. That is a long time for someone to get messed up."

"What do you mean," Rouge asked.

"Oh psychosis, PTSD," he started naming. "Anything you can get from a fucked up life."

"So you're saying this clover's life is fucked up," a gent concluded.

The scientist nodded quietly. He looked up at all of them, almost with pleading eyes.

"Murphy," he murmured. "She spilled. I don't know why though. Maybe she's growing impatient, maybe she's giving up, but all I know is that it's out in the open and now. I can no longer defend myself."

There was a long and awkward pause. Shadow then started walking toward the door.

"Where are you going," Hamlet asked.

"None of your busness," Shadow replied and strode out.

"He could ether be going to see Dr. Eggman," a gent explained. "Or he could be going to see Linda."

"He's probably telling Dr. Eggman now," Hamlet guessed.

Instead Shadow went straight to Linda. He barged in, jolting her from her nap.

"Linda," he bellowed. "Tell me more about Murphy."

"Oh, so that quack referred to me," she replied.

"Just answer my question," Shadow spat.

"What do you want to know," Linda asked.

"Tell me about your encounter with her."

Linda sighed, knowing how persistent Shadow is.

"Well," she started. "She said some mind chilling stuff back there, most i don't want to bring up."

Shadow stood there silently, waiting for a response.

"She," Linda stammered, close to tears. "She was talking about learning how to read. Now that I think about it, she was referring to people, or individuals, as if they were nothing but books."

"It must be an ability of her's," Shadow concluded. "She must be able to look into someones mind and could tell what they're thinking or going to do."

"Perhaps," Linda replied. "There was more. She was hinting toward the fact that she was so powerful, she could wipe out this empire with just one hand. At first I thought it was a threat to my life... but then... she helped me escape."

"So she's probably helping us." Shadow replied.

Linda gave him a weird look.

"If she were helping us," she replied. "Then this empire would be destroyed by now. I don't think think destroying this empire or escaping is her main goal. It's true, Dr. Hamlet explained that he is helping her to escape, but he's not helping her entirely."

"Yeah," Shadow agreed. "I think that quack was right, saying that now all we could do is see what happens next, no matter how dark it looks."

Linda nodded.

"There was one more thing that was weighing on my mind lately though," she continued. "Something she said to me, it was the last thing that I remember."

"What was that," Shadow asked.

"She was asking me something about my family," Linda explained. "She asked me if they loved me."

Shadow gave her a weird look.

"What do you mean," he asked. "That doesn't make any sense. It doesn't mean anything. If you have nothing else to say, then I'm out."

He strode out after that. Linda made a strange face. She then shrugged and dozed off. What a dick, she thought.

* * *

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	6. 6- Mercy of a Child

Chapter 5: Mercy of a Child

A few hours went by after the squad locked Dr. Hamlet up in a prison cell. It was highly advanced, technologically wise. He was still called a traitor and a quack for withholding information from them. He paced back and forth, thinking. If I were to bring this information to Eggman, he wondered, then he would want to take Murphy for his own. It's true, she will protest at this, but it will be much easier for her to escape from Eggman instead of this current empire.

He sighed.

The only problem now is that the crew is against the idea of Eggman obtaining her, he continued thinking. Now Shadow knows my plan. He won't help, no matter what I tell him. Oh Murphy, why did you do this?

* * *

Eggman slammed his hands on the table with rage.

"So," he barked. "That man is working for the Insects, eh?"

"Yes Doctor," a gent explained calmly. "He's been on their side since the beginning. He's been manipulating us to do his will."

"That quack," he shouted. "And we've been trusting him all this time."

A few of them looked down, thinking. John, the squad leader, thought to himself with his eyes tainted with uneasiness. It's a good thing that Shadow didn't run anything by him. He must be very lost, like we are, he thought. None of us knew what the right course of action is, not even Dr. Hamlet. But if anything, we don't want him find out about Murphy.

"We think it's best if you don't listen to him as much," he warned. "Just because he's caught, doesn't mean he'll stop trying. He's very deceptive."

Eggman nodded in agreement, then they all disbanded. Not one of them spoke to or visited the old scientist.

* * *

Linda sat up on her bed as the medics ran her vitals. She felt herself gain more energy as time progressed.

"You know girl, you're in luck," one of the medics exclaimed. "Surviving the vacuum and the trip back."

"What do you mean," Linda asked.

"Normally anyone would be dead by the time they got back to the space station," the other one replied. "But you managed to hold out. And look! even your face is healing!"

Linda touched her face. The scar wasn't as big as it was before and she could start barely seeing out of that eye.

"Is it supposed to heal," she asked, a little bothered.

"No," the medic replied. "You would've been only seeing out of one eye, and that scar would stay."

Linda felt her face, wondering what this could be from. Could it be from Murphy, she wondered.

"Say, do you recall being exposed to anything while you were in that scrap field," the medic asked. "Considering you were in very close proximity to the space station."

"I probably was," Linda replied. "But I can't say for sure."

She didn't want to share any of her conversation or encounters with Murphy, but she felt she was responsible for this. I don't know if I should be thankful, she thought. She felt like she just accepted a suspicious bag from a stranger in an alleyway. Parts of me feel diseased now, she thought.

She thought about what Dr. Hamlet was talking about. From the look of his face, he did not expect this sort of thing to happen. He probably didn't want Murphy to tell me such information, she thought. That he wasn't entirely on our side, and secretly helping her try to escape. I somewhat don't blame him, considering he's only doing what he feels is right.

She then went to sleep. She found herself in the same dream sequence as she was being tormented by Murphy. She looked around, she wasn't there.

"Murphy," she called out. "Are you there?"

There wasn't an answer.

"Murphy, you are inside me aren't you," she hollered.

There was silence for a while. Linda tried rubbing her eyes to see if she could wake up. She didn't.

"Murphy," she hollered. "If you have nothing to say to me, then how about letting me wake up?"

Finally, Murphy's voice broke out.

"Aren't you going to thank me," she retorted. "You didn't tell anybody."

"Why would I," Linda replied. "You've given me information and something else, i don't even want to know, and I have no idea what to do with it."

There was silence for a moment.

"So it didn't work," Murphy murmured. "I thought you would be enticed to tell, or better yet attack Booker. I also gave you some of my soul. I thought you would like it, considering how much anyone would want it."

There was more silence. Linda trembled.

"Well, whatever you gave me, take it back," she cried out. "I don't want any of this! I'd rather die to the likes of this empire than ever help you."

Suddenly, a black shadow jumped out of nowhere, giving her a jolt. Her eyes snap opened and she found her self a cold sweat.

* * *

Dr. Eggman was in his chair as some of the gents worked furiously. They went and tried to forget all that they learned from Dr. Hamlet. Shadow and Rouge were right beside him, thinking. They weren't quite sure of what to do now that they knew about Murphy. Rouge glanced at Shadow, wondering what he was thinking. Neither of them wanted to tell Dr. Eggman about her.

Suddenly one of the gents turned around.

"Doctor," he cried. "It appears that something is wrong with the enemies Mother Ship."

"What is it," he replied, impatient.

"Their power has gone haywire," the gent explained. "None of their jets or weapons are working. Their core seemed to have exploded!"

"What!?," Dr. Eggman barked. He got up from his chair to look at the gent's screen.

Shadow and Rouge looked at each other, took completely off guard.

"Could it be-," Rouge hissed as Shadow shushed her.

"Yep," he concluded.

* * *

Linda gasped and jolted up. She felt her body slowly grow numb and her heart ached with every pulse. What's happening, she wondered. She moaned and screamed with agony as vision from her eye faded into nothing. Her breathing became labored and she found gasping each breath became more difficult. The medics rushed in and slowly turned her to her side.

"Linda, what's happening," they cried. "Is everything alright?"

She gasped, finding it hard to speak. Murphy, this has to be you, she thought. What have you done!?


End file.
